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I had a little bit of time last night and this morning (when I should have been doing real work) and I completely redid the map. I expanded out the map to include more area and I reworked the coastlines, making the barrier islands easier to see. I also hashed out the state and national borders.

Not that I have a skilled eye, but I think the ruler-drawn state borders are supposed to follow the longitudes? I could be wrong though, I'm not American Anyway, I like the sea color in the latest version a lot more than the previous, and the font is really nice.

Thanks for the catch Lingon. The graticules I used didn't mesh with the base SVG I drew the map from. I've removed them pending figuring out how to make it accurately.

Anyway, I think I need to go ahead and give the back story for this divergence from our current time:

In the early decades of the 20th century, Mexico was embroiled in a civil war, and during this time, in 1914, some American sailors were captured in the port of Veracruz (See Veracruz Occupation). During our time line, the civil war continued after this event, but what if this was a galvanizing event to unite the Mexican people? (The idea that I will pick on my brother, but you better not.)

After the incident was resolved and the Mexican Civil War was over, the government of Mexico vowed they would never be bullied by another nation and started a military buildup akin to what was seen in Europe ten years prior, but without an opponent, it was strictly "defensive only."

As the Great War raged across Europe, the Americas sat on the sidelines with Woodrow Wilson emphatically siding with the isolationists. Mexico was careful to maintain diplomatic relations with all belligerents in the war, but unbeknownst to all, they had a closer relationship with the German Empire.

Germany was faltering; choked by a severe blockade of their ports by the British, opted for unrestricted submarine warfare, knowing that would probably draw the United States into the war. As an attempt to keep the US occupied and away from Europe, the Germans sent the Zimmermann Telegram to Mexico asking them to enter the war. (In our timeline this was intercepted, but here it wasn't.)

When the US declared war on Germany, Mexico moved their troops into position then declared war on the United States on the day they invaded. The attack was a three pronged attack, San Diego was captured by the Mexican Pacific Army and the Mexican Pacific Navy, San Antonio was captured by the Mexican Central Army, and key shipyards in New Orleans, Mobile, and Tampa were hit by a Mexican Gulf Fleet raid.

The smaller Pacific Army was stopped just south of Los Angeles where both armies dug in between the ocean and the mountains. The much larger Central Army captured Dallas, then Little Rock before being stopped by the Mississippi River in Memphis. They were further halted south of St. Louis where trenches were dug.

The Gulf Fleet had the run of their sea and used that opportunity to repay a debt to the German Empire. They sailed out of Veracruz and captured the port city of Belize, and thereby capturing the entire colony of British Honduras. Not long later, they captured the Cayman Islands as a means to stage an attack on the American coaling station at Guantanamo and then capture Nassau, Bahamas, giving the Mexicans a valuable presence in the Atlantic.

After Mexico declared war on the US, the American ally in the south, Brazil, who had been watching the Mexicans with concern, declared war on Mexico, but before they could act, their neighbor and Central sympathizer, Argentina, declared war on all the Entente powers, including Brazil.

Brazil was eventually able to knock the Argentinians out of the war, and sent a fleet, complete with troop carriers, through the Panama Canal aiming for the port city of Acapulco. This they captured and built an air base to attack Mexico City.

More of the story will be forthcoming as I decide how it unfolds, but meanwhile, here is the map so far.

### LATEST WIP ###

Last edited by WillP; 06-25-2013 at 02:51 PM.
Reason: Corrected some grammatical and spelling errors